Manchester United want to bring in Inter star with a swap deal
José Mourinho is intending to boost his midfield with fellow countryman João Mário.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Manchester United are willing to offer Juan Mata as part of a potential deal to bring in Mário. Recent results have shown how important Paul Pogba is to the team. His dynamism was missed when he was injured, so bringing in a player with a similar skillset would add some much-needed depth in that area.
The Portuguese midfielder isn’t one of Luciano Spalletti’s preferred starters. I Nerazzurri have a well-balanced midfield which Mario doesn’t fit seamlessly in. His time at Inter hasn’t been overly successful and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the club cut their losses in order to try to get some of their investment on him back.
United currently have a number of talented midfielders, but none quite like Pogba. Nemanja Matić sits in front of the defence and breaks up the opposition attacks. Marouane Fellaini acts as a unique aerial threat as well as a defensive screen. Ander Herrera is more of a mix because he can play in a variety of different roles.
Michael Carrick is a reliable pivot, but his game time has to be limited. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mata are the two main playmakers for the team with both having fluctuations in form. None of the players mentioned above can control a game like Pogba. He has a mixture of dribbling and passing ability which allows him to unpick defences as well as break on teams.
Where does Mário fit in?
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His flexibility allows Mourinho to play a variety of formations which bring the best out of Pogba. In the preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Mário could sit alongside Matić with Pogba playing as a No. 10. This could be adapted into a 4-1-4-1 with Mário playing higher up the pitch if Mourinho wanted to employ a high press.
The ideal setup would be a 4-3-3 formation with Matić, Mário and Pogba. They could either dominate possession or absorb pressure and break on teams as Mourinho usually prefers. Mário could also act as a capable Pogba replacement when the Frenchman is injured or suspended.
There is also the option to play with three at the back. A 3-5-2 formation is similar to a 4-2-3-1 in terms of the midfield setup and has the added defensive solidity. However, it solely relies on the full-backs for width. Using a 3-4-3 formation isn’t really suitable because one of Mário and Pogba would have to play out of position. Mourinho does seem to favour four at the back, but the transfer does add these potential alternatives.
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Losing Mata wouldn’t affect the team too much. He has served the club admirably, but has slowly fallen out of favour. Although, he has lasted longer than many anticipated when Mourinho first joined the club. It just remains to be seen whether Inter want him because the report states that they would only be interested if Mkhitaryan was offered. However, he isn’t attracting much interest currently, so it may be the best offer that they receive.